The highest scoring team in the league Red Sox poured it on after the sloppy play by the Rays. Can the second highest team Tigers keep up with the Sox, better yet outscore the A's and put fear in the rest of the post season participants? Sock it to em Tigers

Cabrera does not appear able to use much of his lower body to hit. His swing is all hands. The TBS guys last night did some good analysis on what the groin injury has done to him. The other hitters in the lineup will need to make up for this. Great pitching performances last night.

16 K's matches the A's franchise single game high... that's how good it was. Benoit striking out the side in the high pressure 9th was amazing. Not your '12 closer, that's for sure. All in all, our bullpen struck out 5 out of 6 batters faced to end the game.

Not if the As get 4 or more runs off of him. Then it becomes a stupid mistake.
I'm prepared to eat crow if he gives up 2 runs or less in 7 innings.

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It's never a stupid idea to have your Cy Young / MVP / 6-time All-Star / $20 million star pitcher to actually pitch. I guarantee no one in the Detroit franchise even remotely considered putting Verlander in the bullpen.

By putting Verlander at the #2 spot, Leyland actually gave himself two choices (Scherzer, Verlander) for a game #5 starter. After last night, it's pretty obvious who gets the call if we end up going 5 games.

Pitching looks awesome as we thought it would.....just need to convert all of those hits into runs, which means someone other than Miggy will have to go yard (with a man on)...One run can win games, but I only relax on 4+ run leads.

It's never a stupid idea to have your Cy Young / MVP / 6-time All-Star / $20 million star pitcher to actually pitch. I guarantee no one in the Detroit franchise even remotely considered putting Verlander in the bullpen.

He's had 9 games this season where he's given up 4 or more runs.
Add to that 9 more games where he's given up 3 runs...
17 games of a 3.86 ERA or worse...........

By putting Verlander at the #2 spot, Leyland actually gave himself two choices (Scherzer, Verlander) for a game #5 starter. After last night, it's pretty obvious who gets the call if we end up going 5 games.

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Verlander hasn't earned his money.......I'd start the ERA champion in game 2 over Verlander.

Verlander hasn't earned his money..He's had 9 games this season where he's given up 4 or more runs.
Add to that 9 more games where he's given up 3 runs...
17 games of a 3.86 ERA or worse.................I'd start the ERA champion in game 2 over Verlander..

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I am OK with going with JV in game 2, but if we had lost game 1, then I would have considered Sanchez ahead of JV.

But our hitters got to manufacture those 5+ runs to offset the issues outlined in blue.